LUST (Dirty Brothers 2)

1

My sister’s engagement party is the last place I want to be, and I’m furious about it. This is something I should be excited for. Instead I’m dreading it because I might run into Sam. Sammy. Samuel Logan. The man who broke my heart. And even though I like to pretend otherwise, I never really recovered.

I’ve compared every relationship since to him, even if I try to put it out of my mind. It’s probably not fair to compare things to the explosive, all-consuming, power of first love, but I can’t help it. It was perfect, or at least it was in my mind. And I haven’t experienced anything since that’s come close.

We’ve lived in the same town our entire lives and haven’t run into each other since that awful prom night. But go figure, my sister is going to marry his little brother, and the party’s at his family’s estate. He’s going to be here, and I’m going to do my best to just stay clear of him entirely, but just in case, I’ve made pulled out all the stops to make a smoking hot impression: Plunging neckline, smoky eye, and heels so high that my feet are going to kill me tomorrow.

Totally worth it.

I pull into the driveway and I roll my eyes when I see that they’ve hired valets for the evening. I mean, I really shouldn’t be surprised. The Logans are town royalty and practically made of money. One of the valets—so young he’s practically a kid—runs over to me as I pull up to the house. He’s got a big grin on his face and I can’t help but smile back. At least he’s having a good time. I do my best to avoid looking at the enormous house behind me as I hand him the keys, and I’m still standing there a few minutes after he’s driven off in my car.

I can do this. I can. I have to do this for Rose. There’s a pressure growing in my chest. A heart attack would be a pretty good excuse to skip this party. But I know I’m not having a heart attack. That’s the downside of being a nurse: no delusional self-diagnoses. Taking a deep breath, I turn to face the house. It looks the same, in that way that houses tend to do. Like it hasn’t been eleven years since I last stepped inside. Like the man who lived there didn’t shatter my life.

Time to get this over with. I walk up the stairs, and the sound of my high heels on the steps seems really loud to me, almost like thunder. My heart is beating fast, too. I need to keep it together. A man opens the door for me as I approach, and it takes me a second to recognize him. “Benjamin?” The Logan’s long time butler. He was always kind to me.

He looks at me. “The elder Miss Monroe. It’s been a long time.”

“Yes. It has.” I force a smile.

“Enjoy the party.”

I sigh. “I’ll do my best.”

And then I’m through the door. Thankfully Rose is the first person that I see. “Hi!” she squeals and pulls me into a warm hug. I’ve been working long hours and it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. It’s been touch-and-go with us since she and Thomas got together. I’m grateful that he saved my father’s bakery, and I’m happy that she’s happy, but I still harbor resentment toward the Logans. Thomas seems nice, but it hurts to see him. And because of that, I’ve kept my distance from Rose.

“Hi,” I say, hugging her back. “It’s good to see you.” And it is. Rose has been like a different person since she and Thomas got together. Lighter, more carefree. I can’t help but think this is who she’s meant to be.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” she says, “because I was promised that as soon as you arrived I could stop greeting people at the door.” Looping her arm through mine, she pulls me further into the house. “Thomas, look who showed up.”

Thomas turns, and smiles when he sees me. “Hello, Fiona.” There’s a light hug and a kiss on the cheek. Thomas has always been sensitive to my history with his brother. He likes me, but I think he knows why I avoid him.

“Hey.”

“So now,” Rose says, abandoning me and allowing Thomas to wrap his arms around her, “it’s your turn to stand by the door.”

“Is that so?” he says with a smile, leaning down to kiss her.

The way he kisses her, I have to look away. It’s too intimate. I’m so, so happy for Rose, but I also want what she has. I want that kind of happiness. Rose pulls away laughing. “Go!”

He does, making it back to the front door just in time for another guest to enter. Rose floats back to me. “You look great, by the way.”